Pakistan’s Prime Minister Calls For Stronger Defence Ties With Türkiye

Since taking the post back in April, after then Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharrif has been shoring up relations with Pakistan's closest allies. His latest stop, Türkiye. He met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, covering everything from trade and defence ties to regional security threats. Shariff said that Pakistan stands with Türkiye in its fight against terrorism, adding: "Enemies of Türkiye are enemies of Pakistan." Despite the abrupt change in Pakistan’s leadership, relations between Ankara and Islamabad have remained strong. Just last month, the two countries celebrated the launch of a new warship, built by a Turkish company and commissioned for the Pakistani navy. PM Shariff also made a key announcement in late May, that he wanted Türkiye to join a multi-billion dollar transport project being financed by China, that will make Pakistan a vital transport and energy link. Strait Talk sat down with the prime minister to discuss that proposal, along with the current economic and political challenges his country is facing.